19th Annual International e-Conference on Japanese Studies

Japanese Studies Program

Ateneo de Manila University

In Cooperation with the

International Studies Department

De La Salle University

with the Support of

The Japan Foundation

Sporting Japan: Manifestations of a Society in Transition

DATES: March 4-6, 2021

VENUE: Online

Registration is FREE

OVERVIEW:

Sport is a rule-governed activity that often emphasizes the traits that society values, such as physical exertion, skill, pleasure, competition, and aesthetics as well as reflecting its changing identity, gender relations, and nationalism.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Japan’s nation-state building efforts coincided with its enthusiasm towards baseball and marathon when Japanese found out that their athletes were able to compete with the West after its long-period of international seclusion. Decades later, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics not only showcased Japan’s postwar economic recovery but also effectively boosted industrial capitalism and shaped its postwar identity. In recent decades, the 2002 FIFA World Cup drastically changed the sentiment of the South Korea-Japan relationship while the unexpected victory of the Nadeshiko Soccer Team in the 2011 World Cup revealed the contesting notions of gender and sports. Furthermore, renowned Japanese athletes with mixed descent such as Yu Darvish (baseball), Mashu Baker (judo), Akira Takayasu (sumo), and Naomi Osaka (tennis) obscure the line between ethnicity and national identity in the sportscape. Indeed, as the country prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, various political issues have come forth: hosting the Olympics as a respite from the still unresolved 3/11 twin disasters, the cancellation of the architectural design of the new stadium, the disagreement among the citizens of Tokyo about the benefits and costs of hosting of the Olympic games and, above all, the socio-political implications of continuing the Olympics during the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, despite its relative neglect as a social science subject, sports has become increasingly central to discussions of the complex social reality of Japan.

Exploring the emerging scholarship on sports in Japan, this conference aims to revisit previous approaches and expand into new perspectives that better explain how Japan is trying to come to terms with the expanse and velocity of change both in the domestic and international sphere. Scholars are encouraged to rethink the confluence of sports and Japanese society by examining the themes related to sports, such as Japanese national and ethnic identity, multiculturalism, gender relations, tourism, public diplomacy, history, and the consumption of sports.

Tentative Programme (Schedules and speakers are still subject to change)

Webinar 01: Opening Plenary Session

“Sporting Japan, Ethnicity, and International Affairs”

March 4, Thursday, 13-1430 (Philippine Time)

March 4, Thursday, 14-1530 (Japan Time)

March 3, Wednesday, 21-2230 (Pacific US Time)

    

    • Opening Remarks – Japanese Studies Program, Ateneo de Manila University

    

    • Welcome Speech – Japan Foundation

    

    • Plenary Speaker

      Dr. Sachi Takahata, University of Shizuoka

      “Jumping over the National Border: Filipino-Japanese Athletes Now and Beyond”

    • Discussion and Q&A

Webinar 02

“Prospects of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics”

March 5, Friday, 10-1200 noon (Philippine Time)

March 5, Friday, 11-1300 (Japan Time)

March 4, Thursday, 18-2000 (Pacific US Time)

    

    • Dr. Jules Boykoff, Pacific University in Oregon

    “‘A Safe Pair of Hands’?: The Tokyo 2021 Olympics and the Anti-Games Activist Challenge”

    • Dr. Sonja Ganseforth, German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ Tokyo)

    “Spectacle and disaster – Opposition against the Tokyo 2020+1 ‘Recovery Games’”

    • Discussion and Q&A

Webinar 03

“History, Remembrance, and Representation of the Olympics”

March 5, Friday, 13-1500 (Philippine Time)

March 5, Friday, 14-1600 (Japan Time)

March 4, Thursday, 21-2300 (Pacific US Time)

    • Dr. Torsen Weber, German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ Tokyo)

    “1940, 1964, 2020: Tokyo’s Olympic Pasts as Selective Memory, Nostalgia, and Denial”

    • Nick Pozek, Columbia University

    “Tokyo Olympiad: Spectacle, Humanity, and the Image of Modern Japan”

    • Discussion and Q&A

Webinar 04

“Philippine-Japan Relations and Sports”

March 6, Saturday, 13-1500 (Philippine Time)

March 6, Saturday, 14-1600 (Japan Time)

March 5, Friday, 21-2300 (Pacific US Time)

    • Dr. Suguru Norimatsu, Portland State University

    “Revisiting the History of Philippines-Japan Relations through Boxing”

    • Dr. Severino R. Sarmenta Jr., Ateneo de Manila University

    “Women’s Volleyball As Lens: Reflections And Images Of Japanese Sport And Society

    by the Philippine Volleyball Community”

    • Roehl Niño Bautista, University of the Philippines, Diliman

    “Kendo as Soft Power and its Role in Japan’s Cultural Diplomacy with the Philippines”

    • Discussion and Q&A

Registration Link

For inquiries:

You may contact us:
https://www.facebook.com/AteneoJSP

japanese.soss@ateneo.edu